bottle of pain.

she became a wild fire. so wild, she even burned her own heart. and i don't know who's worse: the cold hearted girl I once knew, or this girl in front of me with no heart at all natalia luna ortega ✧ 190 ✧ cold-hearted.

[nataliaxortega]

nctgold​:

-

“Wow, do you always look like this when a customer comes in through the door?” Elijah asked then set down the bag in front of her. “I brought you lunch and don’t say that you’re not hungry. Eat.” He nudged it towards her. 

.

“No,” she replied softly, “usually I look a bit meaner. My customers tend to expect a little bite back.” She shrugged, offering a smile. The faerie rolled her eyes at his offering, only to pull it towards her a moment later. It did smell good, but what fun would it be if she didn’t give him a hard time before eating it? “I really shouldn’t. I tell Dakota he’s not allowed to eat his meals in the shop. Besides, ain’t you got anyone else to share lunch with?”

[roadmosttaken]

“Thought you had skipped town.” Helena commented when she saw the fae. She pushed off from the wall she was leaning against to approach her. “Disappearing a thing you do often or should I consider this out of character?” It seemed to happen in waves she had noted and wondered if it was the influence of the veils it would draw people in and let them go at alternating times. For a second Helena wondered if it would let her go or if she would be allowed to settle there. @nataliaxortega

[nataliaxortega]

"Maybe I did," she said, shrugging. Natalia had her moments of wanting nothing more than to be by herself, to wallow in her own self-pity and anger. "It's pretty 'in character', though. It certainly won't be the last time I avoid all contact for weeks at a time. Sometimes I just need to recharge." She tilted her head and frowned a little. "Doesn't bother you, does it? I mean, if I thought it would have, I might have reached out."

[reaperxnoah]

Noah smiled when he recognized the woman sitting at a table in the coffee shop. He stepped over to her with a wave. “Hello,” he said. “Do you remember me? I met you a while ago. I liked your tattoos. I still like them. Did you get any new ones?”

(( @nataliaxortega​ ))

[nataliaxortega]

At first, Natalia didn't recognize him. She was seconds away from barking at him to leave her alone when the memory hit. "Oh, you," she said dryly. "Nope. There's not a whole lot of skin left to tattoo unless I start getting ink on my ass or my pretty face." The faerie chuckled and then took a sip of her tea. "Have you thought about getting any since the last time we chatted?"

[dakotaxwilder]

@nataliaxortega​​

“Nat!” Dakota exclaimed. “Baby doll, get over here! I swear to god, I’m gonna lose my fucking mind if the next ​person that comes in here asks me for a flower. Please, Please tell me the next client wants a fucking dragon. Or like… something else. I will take anything. I’m honestly begging at this point, Nat.” He glanced at her with a big pout plastered on his face. 

[nataliaxortega]

Natalia was in the middle of working on a sketch for a client when Dakota interrupted. She sat still for a moment, a feigned look of annoyance plastered across her face as she struggled to mask her amusement. "First of all," she began, her voice harsh and monotonous, "I'm not your fuckin' baby doll. Just because you're cute as shit don't mean you get to give me pet names." It didn't actually bother her that much but she was always one to enjoy keeping people on their toes. "Second of all..." Her voice trailed off as she looked through the appointment book. "The next slot is booked for some sort of chest piece for a Ms. Evans. I don’t see any other information, so I can’t tell you.” She snickered to herself and turned her attention back to the artwork. “What do you have against flowers, anyway?” 

[nataliaxortega]

Natalia had just finished cleaning up after a client when she heard someone come in through the door. As much of a business woman as she was, no one new the faerie as one to rush for others. She continued to file away her paperwork as she shouted from the backroom. “Take a seat, I’ll be out in a minute. Unless you can’t wait. In that case, take your ass back out the door.”

@detectivegoldstein​

[clutchforbalancearchive-blog]

“I’m the worst kind of monster: the kind that comes with a pretty face, a cold heart, and a reason to be that way.”

[lghtyagami-deactivated20210423]

— (via vindictadulcis)

[nataliaxortega]

Natalia hadn’t been feeling like herself recently. Typically, she was the type of woman that did everything she could to feel on top of the world, but instead, she found herself low and despondent. Perhaps that’s why she didn’t go through her usual insolent spiel when she heard someone come through the door of her tattoo parlor. Instead, she simply glanced up for a moment to get a decent look at them, and then let her eyes fall to her sketch book again. “Yeah, hey,” she muttered, shrugging a shoulder. “What can I do for you?” 

@nctgold​  

[nataliaxortega]

People gawked at Natalia as she entered the bookshop, as though people like her simply couldn’t belong in such a space. She didn’t blame them, however, she didn’t belong. Though, she chalked that up to the fact that she wasn’t exactly a fan of the stuffy atmosphere. The only reason she was there was for Leif.

She waited until it was close to the end of his shift to meet him. The faerie stood just inside of the door, holding a small picnic basket filled with treats. It was something her mother did when she was younger, something she liked to do every now and again. Once her sight set on him, her smile practically glowed. Had she ever gotten the chance to have children, she would have wanted them to be like him, she was sure of it. It might have seemed odd to most people that she was meeting him.  In truth, Natalia was painfully lonely. She didn’t have many friends, if any at all. She needed someone to stand in for her lack of family and connections. “Hey there, squirt,” she said, a playful tone dripping from her words. “I hope the long, exciting day of books didn’t tire you out too much.”

( @hybrid-leif​ )

[nataliaxortega]

For the second time in her life, Natalia couldn’t get the image of a dead body out of her mind. She had heard the chaos, not far from her own tattoo parlor, and she had made the mistake of going to investigate. Police were everywhere, people were screaming. She managed to get a glimpse of it - of Leif’s soft, beautiful face. Her sweet, sweet friend. It was an image that replayed itself nightly, and Natalia had been having god awful night terrors from it.

That night, she jolted, sitting up straight in her bed as she let out a heartbreaking scream. “No, no, no,” she kept repeating as she wrapped her arms around herself, tears streaming down her face. The boy she had become so close to, so protective of could not be dead. She was one of the last people to have seen him alive. Fuck, she even had his sweater from where he let her borrow it because she was freezing. 

She turned to Mani in bed and began to cry a little harder, her sobs rocking the bed. “Why him, baby? Of all the fucking people in the world, why’d they have to take him?”

@manidharxmodi​

[nataliaxortega]

Outside of work and the safety of her own home with her boyfriend, Natalia didn’t talk about what was happening at all. She internalized everything, just the way she did when her own husband had passed away. She knew that she needed something to distract herself outside of Mani, which was the reason she had invited Helena out for dinner. She sat at the table alone, waiting for her friend to arrive. And once she did? It took all Natalia had in her petite body not to cry. “It’s so fuckin’ good to see you, love.”

@helena-theriot​

[nataliaxortega]

If there was one thing Natalia knew about herself, it was that if she didn’t pour herself into work, she would lose her mind. She had grown so close to Leif over a period of time. He was so sweet, so kind, and truthfully, he had become the brother she had always wanted. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears at the thought of it and so she quickly had to snap out of it. She cleared her throat and accidentally pressed a bit harder with the running tattoo gun. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” she muttered, lightening up her strokes on the woman’s skin. “So, uh... What’s this ink for, toots?”

@evanixkamat​

[nataliaxortega]

highlandfaegirl:

“We’re all forced to eventually though, aren’t we?” Amelia asked curiously. Cade had chosen the hunt but he had warned Amelia over and over that she needed to be careful around other fae because they might try to force her to choose. Was it really that obvious that she wasn’t part of the courts? “I fell through the cracks.” She admitted, Amelia knew she might come to regret it but she wanted to try and take a chance on this woman. “I don’t know how but I was never part of the fae culture in any way. I don’t know what court my family is part of. I’ve never been to the fae wilds. I don’t even know what type of fae I am or if there’s others like me.” Amelia sat herself down a small distance from the other fae. “I have a friend who has been trying to keep me sheltered from the courts. He’s worried if they find out I might be in danger because I’m a free agent and report to no one.”

.

“I’ve never seen someone that managed to get around it,” she said honestly. Natalia was never one to give false hope or mince words and she certainly wouldn’t start with this young woman now. She nodded along as the other spoke, but stayed silent. She looked in the woman’s direction briefly as she sat down, only to look back out at the water. “Sounds like you’ve had a rough go, little one. I want to reassure you that it’ll all work out, but I can’t and I won’t. Your friend is truthful and I’d listen to him if I were you. It’s hard to stay low in a place filled to the brim with other supernaturals, though, ain’t it? I’m dreading the day one of the royals decides to stroll their pompous ass into town myself.” 

[nataliaxortega]

fanish-modi:

At the nod towards the back, Fanish took to following the tattoo artist in that direction. “I work at the library, so if you’ve been you most likely would have seen me at some point.”That was usually the case with people in town, you tended to have a rather significant number of face to face interactions with people in a position like his. There was one other possibility, though. One that had only recently been available in the not so ordinary town. “or perhaps you know Manidhar” 

.

“Yeah, I’m not the library kind of gal, if you couldn’t tell. No offense but, uh, books don’t exactly make me tingle.” Cocking her head to the side, the faerie narrowed her eyes at her guest. “How do you know Mani?” There was a touch of hostility in her tone, even though she didn’t intend there to be. She simply happened to be protective of the man she had grown to care for. 

[avocadobananas]

[roadmosttaken]

@nataliaxortega

[fanish-modi]

“Afternoon” Fanish approached the woman behind counter inside of Painted Wings, “I’m needing to inquire about booking a tattoo consultation. Unless you have the time now.” the place didn’t seem too busy, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t an appointment coming up soon. 

@nataliaxortega​

[nataliaxortega]

Natalia narrowed her eyes as she looked at the gentleman approaching her. He was much more well-polished than her usual client. “Uh, yeah, I’m free,” she said with a nod. Typically, she’d have a sort of smart mouthed comment, but she decided to tone it down for someone that she felt might have had delicate sensibilities. “If you follow me, we can head back into my little studio and talk some more.” She stood up and came around the counter, nodding towards the back of the shop. There was something that felt familiar about him but she was sure she had never met him. “I’m sorry, do I know you, at all? Y’just got that kind of face, y’know?” 

[nataliaxortega]

manidharxmodi:

Manidhar couldn’t help but nuzzle, just so, against her shoulder. He loved Natalia’s perfume. He loved the brush of her hair against his face. He fell easily into a routine with her.

“You have the best laugh.” His eyes closed, murmuring against her neck in his vintage slow, thoughtful cadence. “Have I told you that?” Tilting his head back when she combed through his hair, he met her gaze.

A short laugh fell from his lips, smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, “I see that look in your eye.” he brushed his thumb gently against her bottom lip, “I didn’t think I could be more attracted to you but here we are. – Are you hungry..?” He was patting her thigh assuming they’d both move into the kitchen when her energy shifted. “Oh?” He asked, hands gingerly supporting her hips.

“…Serious..? Serious in that I should have handled this years ago, perhaps.” He tilted his head, his own brow knitting in confusion, “There’s no need to worry, Natalia. I promise you. This is… what I was born to do.” he brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “It is one man. And if it is any consolation, my brother will be with me. He’s…” a pause, ip twitching, before continuing, “– He’s even better than I am. Unfortunately.” God, he was bitter. But he’d have time to brood later. This was important.

“…No, Natalia, No…There isn’t anyone else. If that’s… What this is about.“

.

Natalia had forgotten how comfortable it was to be this close to someone, to cherish someone’s company the way she did with Mani. “I don’t think you have but I appreciate the opportunity to hear it, mi rey,” she cooed. 

As he patted her thigh, she took it as a sign to move and so she did. “I’m always hungry,” she chuckled. She stood slowly at first, not wanting to trip and embarrass herself around him. Once firmly on her feet, she began to move towards the kitchen, purposely swaying her hips a bit more as she walked. “What does the king of the house have planned for tonight’s grand meal?” She wanted to keep the conversation shifted towards something light hearted, playful even. It was  useless wish for her.

“You can tell me not to worry all that you want but you and I both know it ain’t gonna fuckin’ happen that way,” she replied, unintentionally snapping at him. She didn’t mean to be rude or aggressive, but she could feel her emotions boiling up inside of her. She closed her eyes at his touch, inhaling sharply as she felt the strand of hair being tucked behind her ear. “That will never console me. The only thing that will is to know that you are home, safe. To know that there’s no chance that someone is going to hurt you, or worse.” She could feel tears well up in her eyes. She wasn’t ready for him to see her like that yet.

She scoffed, feeling almost offended at his last statement. “No, that’s not what this is about,” she scolded him. “I don’t believe you’re the type of man to see someone else and even if you did, there is no man or woman on this Earth that could make me feel insecure.” She shook her head and looked away, her eyes stinging as the tears multiplied. “The last person I loved made me the same promises. ‘There’s no need to worry’, ‘I’ll come home’, ‘I’ll have the rest of my division with me’. And you know what happened, Mani? He fucking died. Gone. Blown away like he was nothing more than an insignificant piece of dust.” 

She finally looked up at him again, this time a tear rolled down her cheek. “I can’t go through that again. I can’t lose the man I love again. I can’t lose you. I don’t care about very many people, Manidhar. You might be the only real and true exception. So excuse me all to fuckin’ hell for being worried about your mystery business.”

[nataliaxortega]

hybrid-leif:

Leif tapped the top of the table and pointed to the empty seat on the opposite side, inviting her to sit down if she wanted to. The hybrid gave a nod to her question, fairly certain he’d been staying out of trouble. Mainly he’d been spending his time at the bookstore and with Cade practicing his magic some more. As well as time with Beau when the other wanted to, and also sometimes when Leif would just randomly show up at his place with some new random item he’d taken and thought he might like, and would simply just leave in a random spot inside of Beau’s place. 

.

Natalia carefully sat down across from him. She found him to be quite difficult to read and wanted to make sure every motion she made and word she spoke her soft, to convey gentle intentions. “Good, good,” she replied, softly smiling at him. Part of her hoped none of her usual clients would see her, she had a reputation to uphold, after all. “I feel terrible but I don’t remember if I ever got your name. I’m assuming not since we couldn’t remember jack shit about our identities when I last saw you.” She chuckled before reaching across the table and offering her hand to shake. “The name’s Natalia. Though I go by just about anythin’.”